Paul Clerehugh of the London Street Brasserie reveals the secrets to making the tricky dessert. Contains Great British Bake Off spoilers.

On Wednesday, contestants on the popular BBC1 show the Great British Bake Off were challenged to make the ice-cream based dessert for judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

The challenge led to controversy when contestant Diana Beard inadvertently removed fellow baker Iain Watters' dessert from the freezer early.

This led to the spectacular collapse of Iain's pudding, as well as his hopes in the competition, and led to him dumping it in the bin.

Paul Clerehugh of the London Street Brasserie has mastered the pudding.

He said: "Baked Alaska is the most popular pudding on the London Street Brasserie dessert list.

"We follow the seasons with it: Strawberry Mivvi when local berries are in season, Christmas Pudding ice cream in December and early forced rhubarb in February/March makes delicious Rhubarb Fool ice cream.

"Baked Alaska is incredibly easy to make once you have mastered the Italian meringue.

"Basically, you cook the meringue before it is piped onto the Alaska; it’s the boiling temperature of the sugar syrup whipped into the egg whites that cooks the meringue to a gorgeous, gooey, pipeable marshmallow mess.